Doctor Serendipity
by Talesoftwofairies
Summary: An ordinary doctor's visit turns out to be more than Levy expected.


_Christine's note:__This was inspired by a true story! It is one of my favorite stories my father has from his years of practicing medicine. I couldn't quite recall all the details, so I had to do some of my own research. So there will probably be a few inaccuracies. My apologies if any professionals are reading this! Please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima_

* * *

><p>"Dr. McGarden, you have a walk-in in room four."<p>

Levy looked up from her computer screen to her nurse, Droy, who was leaning into the doorway of her office.

"Thanks Droy! I'll be right there." Levy replied. Droy nodded and disappeared.

She turned back to her computer screen to finish up her dictation, typing quickly. Tuesday's were Dr. McGarden's walk-in days, which made it one of her busier days of the week. In addition to her scheduled patients, she had other patients coming in without appointments, referred as 'walk-ins', who took up her would-be dictation time. Today was no exception. It was only two, and she was already behind on paperwork.

Levy sighed as she stood up and grabbed her coat from the hanger. She would most likely have to stay late tonight, again. It's true that she wanted this career. She did her research on it, and she knew what she was getting herself into, so she shouldn't complain.

Still though, why did all the walk-ins have to come in at the same time?

Levy stepped out her office and looked down the hallway. Her office was in the corner of the clinic, near the nurse station. To her left and right, exam rooms lined the halls. The tray attached to the wall next to room four had a chart waiting for her. She made her way over and picked it up.

Gajeel Redfox, new patient.

Levy leafed through the manila envelope briefly, before opening the door and stepping in.

"Mr. Redfox?" She asked.

The man sitting in the corner of the exam room looked up. He was an unorthodox looking guy, to say the least. He had long unkempt hair, piercings over his face and arms, and tattoos running up and down his arms and legs. He had oil smudges on his face and hands, as well.

Car mechanic, Levy guessed. Through her years of practicing medicine, Levy has noticed some common characteristics between patients and their careers. She's gotten pretty good at hypothesizing too; her success rate has gotten pretty high. It has become somewhat of a game to her, something to keep her entertained as she went through her day.

"Gajeel's fine." He grunted, in a deep voice.

Levy nodded, smiling. "Gajeel, then."

She walked to the counter and placed the chart down. She turned to Gajeel, about to reach out her hand and introduce herself, but he interrupted before she could start.

"Sorry, but I've been waiting to be seen for a half-hour now, and my lunch break's almost over. When's the doctor coming in?"

Levy's mouth snapped closed, her hand still extended halfway.

This wasn't the first time she was mistaken for a nurse, of course. She blamed her small size and young-looking face for the misconception. But it was still just as deflating. She didn't through years of medical school for nothing, darn it.

"I'm Dr. McGarden, I'll be seeing you today." She smiled forcefully, fully reaching out her hand.

The man stared at her, as if processing what she said. Then, he looked down at her hand in surprise.

"Oh. I didn't..." He coughed a bit, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Levy said lightly, waving her hand. He had the decency to look embarrassed, at least. She wasn't the type to hold grudges, anyhow. She took a seat on the stool across from him. "What can I do for you today?"

Gajeel slouched in his chair and picked at his nail. "Been having headaches and muscle aches and feelin' tired for no reason."

"You don't seem particularly concerned." Levy noted, eyeing him.

Gajeel shrugged. "I wasn't gonna come in, but my boss insisted I see a doctor durin' my break."

Levy nodded and hummed. That was pretty typical. Men tended to fight through colds and pain instead of visiting a doctor. It was partially due to society and media, conditioning men to act tough and not show weakness. It was pretty silly, in Levy's opinion. It's part of the reason why women tend to outlive men.

"How long have you been feeling the symptoms?"

"Started yesterday, got a little worse today."

"No family history of any medical problems?" Levy asked, looking through his chart.

"Don't know." Gajeel answered.

"You don't know?" Levy repeated, looking up.

"Don't know my parents." Gajeel said.

"Were you adopted?" Levy guessed.

"Somethin' like that." Was all he said.

Levy didn't press further. He didn't seem too keen on elaborating. Well, no family history left some possibilities open.

"I don't know my parents, either." Levy mentioned, as she scrawled down some notes.

"Really?" Gajeel asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Levy nodded. "I was raised in foster care until I was old enough to live on my own."

"Then how the hell did you afford medical school?" He asked, rather bluntly.

Levy laughed, unbothered. "Through lots of scholarships and student loans."

She heard Gajeel snort from the other side of the room. Levy smiled a bit to herself. It was hell, balancing jobs with studying for all those years, but she did it. And she was pretty darn proud of herself. She put herself through school and passed with honors. She may have accumulated a lot of debt, but no one could say she didn't accomplish her dream. Levy finished up her notes and stood up.

"Can I have you sit here, please?" She said, motioning to the exam table.

Gajeel obliged and moved to the elevated bed.

Levy started initiating some medical tests. She took her stethoscope from her neck and placed the earpieces in. She positioned the chest piece over his lungs and instructed him to breathe in, and then out. No wheezing or congestion.

"Do you have a sore throat?" She asked, as she moved to repeat the operation to his back.

Gajeel grunted in the negative.

Hmm. "Where do you feel sore?"

Gajeel placed his hands on the back of his neck. Levy pressed on the areas he indicated with her fingertips and rubbed in a circular motion.

"Here?"

"Y-yeah." Gajeel mumbled.

Levy went over to the counter and pulled out one of the drawers. She took out a thermometer and put on a recyclable tip.

"Mind if I take your temperature?"

Gajeel opened his mouth, and Levy stuck in under his tongue. After a few seconds of waiting, Levy took it out and read the results. 101°F. He had a fever.

"Where do you work?" Levy asked conversely, as she jotted down some notes on his chart.

"Auto shop."

Levy looked up and grinned. "Aha. Thought so."

Gajeel quirked a brow. "You thought so?"

"I could tell by the smudges on your arms. And your clothes." His demeanor also gave it away, but Levy didn't mention it. She didn't normally tell her patients about her little game she played; they didn't always appreciated being read. But Levy got the impression that Gajeel wouldn't care.

Gajeel chuckled. "You're a modern-day Sherlock Holmes."

"Yup!" Levy responded, excitedly. "His character was inspired by a doctor, after all. Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't." He said, meeting her eyes and smirking. "Is that what they teach you in medical school?"

"Yeah, that, and some stuff about human biology," Levy shrugged. "But I didn't pay attention in those classes."

"Oh, that's comforting." Gajeel deadpanned.

Levy laughed and grinned at him. It was then that she noticed that he had really nice eyes. They were a shade of red that Levy's never seen before. When she realized she was staring, she jerkily looked away. Professional here, remember? She moved onto the next procedure.

After a few more tests, Levy had narrowed Gajeel's illness down to the most likely diagnosis.

"Well Gajeel, it seems to me that you have a viral infection. It doesn't look too serious. You're pretty healthy, so it should pass in a few days. I can prescribe you some medicine for the symptoms, if you'd like."

"What? No shots?" Gajeel asked, in a mock-disappointed tone.

"I can inject you with salt-water, if you're eager." Levy offered, innocently.

Gajeel's face fell. "Uh…I'll just take the medicine."

Levy took out a prescription pad, and described the medication that Gajeel should take. When she was finished, she ripped off the page and handed it to him.

Gajeel stood up and took the paper. He stretched out his arms over his head, causing his shirt to lift a bit. It revealed some rather nice abs.

Levy briefly glanced at his exposed skin, before continuing. "Also, make sure to get as much rest as you can for the next few days, and drink lots of wat-"

Levy stopped midsentence. She paused before asking, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Gajeel looked down at her.

"On your stomach." Levy motioned at his shirt.

Gajeel peered at her curiously, then took the bottom of his shirt and raised it up. A spotted red rash stained the skin on his stomach, a little above his pant waste line.

"That's weird. Must have got it at work or something." Gajeel commented.

Levy was very still. All at once she felt her awareness slowly drift out of the present, almost as if she was falling down a rabbit hole of her own mind. A memory from medical school absorbed her, dragging her down.

Years ago, in a textbook she had for class, there was a certain page with a picture of an arm in the corner. She remembered glancing at it when she leafed through the chapter. It was a forearm with an interesting looking rash on it, splotchy and dark…very similar to the one on Gajeel's stomach. It had a description underneath the image, as well.

Levy's mind suddenly whirled at miles per minute. Fever. Muscle aches. Headaches. Rash. It couldn't be…could it?

"Something wrong, doc?" Levy heard Gajeel ask in a low tone.

Levy felt very far away from the room. Her voice felt oddly calm and far away. "Yes…You need to go to the hospital…"

"Wait, what? Why? You just said I was fine!"

"No, no…" Levy said again, in that distant voice. "You need to go to the E.R."

"I don't get it, what's going on!?" Gajeel demanded.

Levy snapped to attention and stood up straight, motioning to his stomach again. "That rash, on your skin. I-it could be nothing, but it could mean Meningococcal Meningitis."

"What's that?" Gajeel asked. Levy could hear some confused exasperation in his voice.

"It's an infection of the bloodstream. If not caught soon, it can be very dangerous."

"How dangerous? Do you mean…?"

"It can be fatal." Levy answered.

Gajeel eyes widened, and then his brows furrowed.

"But I feel fine!"

"That's the dangerous part, there's not a lot of warning for it. It can strike almost," Levy shook her head. "Listen, Gajeel, I know it's sudden, but you need to go to the hospital, now."

"So," Gajeel looked a little lost. "I should drive to the hospital?"

Levy meant to say yes, but what came out of her mouth was something different entirely. "No, actually…I think you should take an ambulance."

"An ambulance?" Gajeel repeated.

"Yes, please wait here, I'll call one." Levy said, rushing out of the exam room. Droy and a few other nurses were sitting behind the counter, typing on the computers. In moments, she was in front of Droy. Her face must have communicated the urgency she felt, because when Droy glanced up at her, his eyes widened.

"I'm calling an ambulance for this patient. Please direct them to his room."

Droy nodded. "What's wrong with the patient?"

"Meningitis." Was all she said, before turning around and rushing away.

She hurried to her office and grabbed the phone on her desk. She punched in a number and waited for the line to pick up. Levy really didn't know what possessed her to suggest an ambulance, but right after the words left her mouth, she had this overwhelming feeling that it was the right decision.

Meningococcal Meningitis was a nightmare case for doctors. The chances of misdiagnosing it are very high. It usually appears as an average fever, or virus. Then, in the course of a few hours, the symptoms become severe. If not caught early enough, the patient will die, or in the very least, suffer from life-long mental and or physical impairment. It was also very rare. Only a thousand are diagnosed with the disease each year. Levy herself had never seen a case of it in this healthcare facility. But she couldn't take any chances.

The voice on the other line picked up. "Magnolia E.R, how can I help you?"

"This is Dr. McGarden from Magnolia healthcare; I need an ambulance to take my patient to the hospital. His name is Gajeel Redfox."

"Alright Dr. McGarden, we've dispatched an ambulance. They'll be there soon. What's wrong with the patient?"

"The patient has a high fever with muscle aches, a headache and drowsiness. He also has a spotted rash on his lower abdomen."

The voice on the other line was silent for a bit. Then, "Oh, shit."

"Please hurry." Levy said before hanging up.

She went back into room four where Gajeel was still sitting on the exam table. Gajeel looked up as she came in.

"The ambulance should be here soon, they'll take you to the hospital." Levy informed him.

"Alright." Gajeel said simply.

Levy blinked at his tone. He seemed pretty…calm, for someone who had a potentially life-threatening illness.

"How are you feeling, Gajeel?" Levy asked, watchfully.

Gajeel shrugged. "I dunno. Fine, I guess."

He studied his hands, silently. Levy waited for him to continue.

"You said I could die, right?"

Levy nodded slowly.

"Yeah," Gajeel agreed. "I guess I'm not as bothered as I should be. Maybe it's just the shock talkin, but I was thinkin'. If I do die, I guess I won't really care, since I'll be…. Y'know. I don't have family or anything, so I'm not leaving anyone behind. I don't really have anything to live for, I s'pose."

"Live for me, then." Levy said, automatically.

Levy widened her eyes. Where did that come from!?

Gajeel gave her a strange look. "What?"

"Well, uh," Levy started, feeling her face warm up. "I've haven't had a patient die on me yet, and I'd hate to lose someone so young. I had fun seeing you as a patient, I'd like to see you come in again."

It was true. Levy was still fairy new to her field, only practicing for four years, and she had yet to have a patient of hers pass away.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "So please, if only for my sake…don't die."

Gajeel stared at her, mouth slightly parted.

Just then, the door to the room swung open. Two men in EMT uniform stood in the doorway.

"Gajeel Redfox?" One of them asked.

"Yeah." Gajeel responded, stiffly.

The man nodded, he stepped aside to reveal a gurney. "Please have a seat."

Gajeel made a face. "Do I have to? I can walk just-"

"Gajeel," Levy interrupted. Gajeel looked over at her. "Please."

Gajeel gave her another funny look, and then stepped up on the gurney. He laid back as the EMT's rolled him of the exam room.

Levy watched, uncertainly. Having patients wheeled away to the hospital wasn't very unusual. It happened here at least once a week. Normally, she would get on to her next line of business, and call the hospital for an update later. But something about this case felt different. Maybe it was just the fact that it was a rare infection that she's never diagnosed before. Or was it something else? Gajeel's words wouldn't stop repeating in Levy's mind. He just sounded so…_sad. _

"Doc."

Levy's attention was brought back to Gajeel, who was watching her as he was being pushed away. In seconds, Levy caught up to the technicians.

"Yes, Gajeel?" She answered, keeping pace with the gurney.

"Are you single?"

The squeaky wheels of the stretcher suddenly sounded deafening as everything else fell into complete silence. Levy's mind seemed to short-circuit as it struggled to process the question that was just asked. If she wasn't a trained physician who knew better, she would think she was experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack.

Levy became suddenly aware that she had been silent for too long. Gajeel was looking at her, expectantly. Even the EMTs were looking at her, albeit strangely. The four of them were in the parking lot now, where the ambulance was waiting on the curb.

"Um," Levy said finally, with red cheeks. "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"If I get out of this alive, I'm taking you out to dinner." Gajeel responded with a grin.

Levy's jaw hung open. "Oh, I, that's- I don't think that's-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the ambulance doors being opened. The gurney wheels collapsed upwards into the bed, as the EMT's pushed it into the van.

"We got a deal, doc?" Gajeel called out, as the EMT's climbed into the back of the ambulance. Levy was pretty sure she heard one of them snickering.

Levy felt confusion and frustration surge through her. Was he really asking this _now_? Didn't he know how much danger he was in? She looked at him exasperatedly, and then she noticed something. Gajeel's expression was a drastic change from what she saw a couple minutes ago, and his voice sounded a lot cheerier than the hopeless tone she heard moments ago. Whatever idea was going through his head, it seemed to have lifted his spirits. Levy couldn't take that away from him now.

"Alright, Gajeel. It's a deal," Levy sighed. "But you gotta keep up your end."

"Ya got my word! Later, Doc!" He grinned, waving. The doors to the ambulance closed with a slam. In moments, the ambulance sped out the lot and down the street, with its sirens piercing the air.

Levy lingered in the parking lot a moment longer, with her hand clenched to her chest. A part of her wished she could have gone with them, to see this whole thing through.

"Dr. McGarden?" A voice snapped Levy out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Droy, with his head poking out of the clinic's back door.

"Um, you have a patient in room five," He informed her. He tilted his head at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, sorry. I'll be right there." Levy nodded, walking towards him.

She shook her head as she followed Droy back to her section. It was hard to process everything that just happened. A seemingly standard visit became into a medical emergency, and then she got asked out? It was almost too much. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, as she picked up the chart for her next patient.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Levy finally caught a break in between patients. Normally she would take this time to work on her dictations, messages, prescription refills, and other duties, but she found herself unable to resist making a persona– no, professional – phone call.<p>

"Magnolia E.R., how can I help you?"

It was a woman this time.

"Hi, this is Dr. McGarden, I sent in a patient a few hours ago, I was wanted to know how he was doing."

"Was it Gajeel Redfox?"

"Yes! How is he?" Levy asked steadily, while she grasped the cord of the phone tightly.

"He's on an antibiotic, which he seems to be responding well to. We also have him on Ceftriaxone for the brain swelling and mechanical ventilation."

Levy's eyebrows furrowed at that. Mechanical ventilation is a machine used to help individuals breathe manually when they are unable to do it themselves… but Gajeel was breathing just fine. "Why is he on Mechanical ventilation?"

The woman didn't say anything at first. Levy grew more confused as the silence stretched.

"Oh." The voice said, as if coming to a realization.

"What?" Levy all but begged.

"The patient was brought into the E.R. in a comatose state."

Levy felt weak in the knees. That can't be. The drive to the hospital from here is only twenty minutes, even less if it was an ambulance. In the ten minutes it took to arrive at the hospital, Gajeel fell into a coma?

Levy fell into her chair with a thump, as all the implications flew through her mind. Had Gajeel not stretched, had his shirt not have hiked up, had Levy not happen to glance at his stomach, had Levy not recalled that image from her medical text books, had Gajeel not come in when he did, Gajeel would have been a dead man. Levy put her hand to her forehead, feeling light of breath. Just what were the odds of all those coincidences?

"Dr. McGarden?" The lady on the other line asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. That'll be all, thank you." Levy said, emotionlessly. She hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Dr. McGarden strolled through the intensive care unit of Magnolia Hospital. Visiting hours were long over, but Levy had convinced the staff to let her in. The halls were relatively quiet. Only the sounds of machines echoed in the lobbies.<p>

She came to a stop in front of room 18. She pushed through the doors and walked in.

The large machine in the room caught Levy's eye first. Its buttons flashed brightly and beeped. Levy looked down at the patient attached to the machine. Gajeel lay on the bed, motionless. Countless IV's were plugged into his arm, and a tube ran from his mouth to a machine, controlling his breath.

Despite all that, he looked at peace.

Levy took a few steps closer. She stretched out her arm and dropped a book on the table next to his bed. _The Hound of Baskervilles _by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. She turned back to the door, and made her way to exit. She grasped the handle and paused. She looked back towards her patient.

"Come see me when you're better, Gajeel."

* * *

><p>A month later, Dr. McGarden was in a Monday rush. They were always the craziest days for the office. All four doctors were in today: Dr. Scarlet, Dr. Justine, Dr. Clive, and herself. Everyone was rushing from room to room, trying to fit in as many patients as possible. After finishing up with her two o'clock appointment, Levy stepped out of the exam room and placed the chart in front of her Monday nurse, Jet.<p>

A wave of giggles came from her left. Levy looked over, curiously. Standing in front of her office door, she saw the front office receptionist's gathered in a group, grinning widely.

Levy quirked an eyebrow. " What're you guys laughing about?"

"You should check out your office, Dr. McGarden." Lucy smiled. Besides her, Wendy and Lisanna giggled again.

The girls parted to reveal her office door. Levy gave them a suspicious look as she walked through them and into her office.

Immediately, a bright assortment of color caught her attention. Sitting on her desk was a colorful bouquet of flowers, in an intricate glass vase.

Levy's eyebrows shot up, and she was momentarily taken aback by the variety. She ignored the next wave of giggles from behind her as she stepped closer and reached for the folded note amongst the blossoms. The front of the note was addressed to: "Dr. Shortstuff"

Levy scowled at the less-than-flattering name. This must be from one of her friends. But who? She opened up the note. Inside it read:

_Thanks for saving my ass._

_-Gajeel._

Levy couldn't stop the little "Oh!" That came out of her mouth. She smiled fondly and chuckled to herself. So he was okay. Okay enough to send a gift, at least. Levy felt a warmness grow in her chest.

"Dr. McGaaaaaaaaaarden" Lucy drawled from the hallway. "You have a visitoooooooor."

Levy looked up at her in alarm. "I do!? Is it…is?"

"Yes, it's him." Lisanna answered slyly.

Levy felt the heat rush to her face. "I have a walk-in waiting, I don't think I-"

"I will take care of your patient." A voice said from behind the gaggle of women.

"Dr. Scarlet?" Levy looked at the red-haired doctor with surprise.

"Go, see him." Dr. Scarlet commanded, with sparkling eyes.

"He's in the parking lot." Wendy smiled. "He's waiting for you!"

Levy looked at their eager faces. She sighed in defeat and mumbled out a thanks. Red faced, she made her way down the hall, the girls whooping the whole way. She swung open the back door and looked around.

To her right, she spotted the back of her miracle patient, Gajeel Redfox.

Levy cleared her throat. "So, you're feeling better now?"

Gajeel turned around, and grinned when he saw her. "Sure am, thanks to you."

Levy laughed weakly. He was more handsome than she remembered. It was making her uncomfortable. "It's really your boss you should thank, for insisting you come in."

Gajeel smirked. "You're right. Guess I should take those flowers back, then."

"Well, I didn't say that."

Gajeel laughed. It was much higher pitched than she would of thought. It was kind of cute.

"I got your book."

"Oh yeah? Did you read it?"

"Yeah, course I did! What kinda question is that!?"

Levy looked at him, skeptically.

"Alright, fine, I got halfway."

Levy chuckled and smiled up at him. Then she gave him a questioning look. "I told the hospital to call me when you were discharged."

"I asked them not to tell ya," He shrugged. "Thought I'd come visit and surprise you instead."

Well, she was surprised. No arguing with that.

"So," Gajeel started, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I believe we made a deal, last time we talked."

Aha. There it was. Levy was waiting for that to be brought up. Part of her was surprised he recalled it, since he apparently fell into a comatose state right afterwards.

"Ah, looks like you remember." Gajeel grinned.

Levy looked the man standing in front of her. He really did have a handsome face, even with all the piercings, and he seemed to be a pretty good guy, too. The last time she went on a date was when she was in her college years. And she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't think about their 'deal' on a daily basis since their fated meeting. It could be really fun just to go on one date with him. But there was one problem…

"About that," Levy started, looking away. "I can't…It's against our policies to start a relationship with our patients. It's considered unethical.

"I know I agreed to it," She mumbled, feeling guilty and ashamed. "But I can't. I'm so sorry."

"Oh." Gajeel said, tone falling. "That settles it, then."

Levy said nothing, just studied her shoes.

"Guess I'll have to find a new primary doctor."

Levy whipped her head up. "What?"

"'s not like I want to," Gajeel shrugged. "You did save my life, after all. But I can't go back on my word."

Levy stared, mouth hanging open.

"That solves the problem, right?"

Levy could only nod, dumbly.

"Great," Gajeel grinned. "When's your next day off?"

"Uhh," Levy said, intelligently. She was slowly losing control of this decision. But she wasn't sure if she cared. "Friday."

"Friday, huh?" Gajeel pondered, eyes trailing up. They settled on her again. "Alright. Friday it is. Seven okay?"

"Seven." Levy echoed.

Gajeel turned around and waved a hand behind him. "Great. See you Friday, Dr. Shortstuff."

Levy's eyebrow twitched. What did he just say?

"That's _McGarden_!" She huffed, indignantly.

"Dr. McShortstuff" He corrected, climbing into his car.

He shut his door before Levy could retort. She clenched her fists and growled to herself, as she watched him drive away. Is that how you treat the doctor who saved your life?

But her scowl easily melted into a smile again. She just got a date with an ex-patient. A slightly ill-mannered one, sure, but not bad –looking one. Not by a long shot. She turned back towards her clinic. She seemed to walk on air as she made her way back to her office, where her bouquet waited for her.

She never thought she'd be this happy to lose a patient.

* * *

><p>AN: Hi guys! Hoped you liked the story! It was inspired by my dad, who had a patient story just like this. A young girl was brought in by her mother, who was experiencing fever like symptoms. My dad didn't see anything out of the ordinary with young lady, just that she was acting slightly loopy. He was talking to the mother, about to send them home when the young girl suddenly lay back on the exam table, which caused her dress to hike up. My dad then just happened to notice a strange rash on her leg, which gave him this strange familiar feeling. He said he doesn't know how he remembered this particular picture from his medical school text book, since it was _years _ ago, but he did. He then advised them to go to the hospital and called an ambulance (which he didn't plan on doing, but he got this strange feeling that he should) and the girl, true to this story, fell into a coma on the ride over.

This little girl ended up recovering without incident, or any long-term damage, all because my dad happened to notice the rash on her leg. It was a visit that amazed my dad, and stayed with him ever since. It's one of my favorite stories too! I hope I did it justice to all of you guys.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to provide a warning to my readers. Meningococcal meningitis is a real disease, and it is as fast and deadly as described in this story. If you or a loved one notices some strange **dark splotchy rashes **on your skin, press a clear glass to the rash. If the rash **does not turn white** against the pressure of the glass, **see a doctor or go to the E.R. ASAP.** It could make all the difference in the world.


End file.
